:eek: we are currently recieving estimates to paint exterior 5,000 sq ft 2 story colonial...we are being told they will power wash, scrape, minimally sand house, spot prime, and 2 coat paint house, and caulk and reglaze 42 windows.They will have to use 60 ft lift as well. Estimates are all over the place!!! ($5,000-$17,500...)We have been told by several companies that manufacturers warranties are not relevant to older homes. That older homes (unless they are completely stripped) will need to be painted every 6-9 years?!!! Is this true to anyone's experience? help!!! Someone- advice- experience- please!:confused:

Unfortunately that is true, based on all the research I've done. IF you don't strip to the bare wood, you're still dealing with whatever paint is on there, and if it's old and it's oil, you're going to have problems. I'm in the process of using an Infrared Paint Stripper to strip all the paint down to the bare wood and start from scratch. And everyone is telling me to stay away from oil as it will eventually oxidize and cause cracking (even for priming). So I'm going full latex at this point in time. By the way, my IR stripper peels all 90 years of paint off so well that I'm not even having to use a scraper, it just peels off in sheets. It may take me a while, but when I'm ready to paint it should go on like butter!

OLder houses have at least two problems which cause peeling. First, they were built with little or no barriers to prevent interior moisture from migrating to the exterior. When that moisture reaches the outer surface of the siding, it is trapped by years of multiple layers of paint.Each layer of paint increases the impermeability of the wall. Therefore, the moisture is trapped in the wood. When the heat of the summer beats on the walls, vapor pressure builds up and pops the paint.
Oil Pints are generally more impermeable than acrylic paints. An older house is certain to have oil paint on it ( and lead paint).

Ideally, the paint should be stripped. This is an extremely labor intensive process regardless of the method used. Short of stripping, often mechanical removal gives good results, but be aware that if the house is older than about 1970, you are almost certain to encounter lead paint and you should protect yourself against inhaling lead dust. A good sharp carbide scraper and a power sander can give decent results. I have used a small Mikita belt sanded loaded with 50 grit or even 36 grit to quickly remove the ugly paint ridges. An oscilating sander loaded with 100 grit will smooth out the finish.

Tradtionally, an oil primer would be used, especially if you have redwood or cedar siding. However, there are now latex primers which will stop tannin bleed. Kilz Premium Primer is one. I definitely prefer acrylic paint for the finish coat. It breathes better, letting vapor to pass on through. It is also more color fast as it oxidizes very little. For doors and windows, however, I still prefer oil paint for its hard surface and smooth leveling with very few brush marks.